


hurtling through space at an alarming rate

by finalfrontierpioneer



Series: 100 Fandoms Challenge [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe- Star Trek, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, Oneshot, the geovin is mild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 08:35:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18687928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finalfrontierpioneer/pseuds/finalfrontierpioneer
Summary: The five year mission wears away at Geoff, but he pulls it together with a little help from his crew.





	hurtling through space at an alarming rate

**Author's Note:**

> Just a lil dribble drabble for the 100 Fandoms challenge! This is obviously completely fictional and has nothing to do with the real people.
> 
> 072\. Space

Geoff slides down the locked door of the empty rec room. He can’t be bothered to sit in a chair; he can’t even be bothered to turn on the light. He’s exhausted, has BEEN exhausted pretty much since day 1.

 

How has so much gone wrong?

 

It’s year 3 of their 5 year mission, and the ship is falling apart. Ryan’s doing his best, but there’s only so much even the chief engineer and his staff can do.

 

At least his chief engineer is still able to fulfill his duties. He can’t say the same of his chief science officer, stuck in a medbay bed, unable to even breathe on his own.

 

He scrapes his hands down his face, pushing hard on his eyes and ignoring the tears of frustration building in his throat. 

 

Geoff never even wanted the captain’s chair. He’s only here because he owed Burnie a favor, and Burnie needed someone to take over his ship when he’d gotten himself promoted.

 

The command structure within Starfleet’s been getting thinner and thinner as the war with the Klingons rages on. With the way things are going, it looks like Geoff’s crew might be the next casualty. 

 

But Geoff can’t afford to think like that. His crew can’t afford for him to think like that.

 

His comm rings. 

 

He ignores it. 

 

He just needs a few more minutes.

\----

 

Michael sits through the usual checking of his reflexes, and allows Dr. Sorola to gently rotate his wrist. 

 

He tries not to look, really, but his gaze is automatically drawn to the curtains around Commander Heyman’s bed. The same mission that had completely fucked Michael’s wrist had nearly killed the CSO. 

 

Michael knows he’s lucky, it just doesn’t always feel that way with Dr. Sorola. 

 

“Okay, I’m clearing you for duty-  _restricted_ duty only,” Sorola glares him into submission while violently stabbing his PADD. 

 

“Sir yes sir,” Michael snaps back a mocking salute. 

 

Dr. Sorola rolls his eyes and continues with the paperwork reinstating Michael to active duty. 

 

“I hear we’re picking up a new crew member on the Yorktown,” Michael says, partly just to make conversation, partly because if anyone knows and will share the gossip, it’s the ship’s CMO.

 

“Mmhmm,” Dr. Sorola responds distractedly.

 

“Maybe a new CSO?” Michael fishes.

 

“Unfortunately no. Apparently there aren’t any science officers to spare,” Dr. Sorola doesn’t seem to put much stock in Starfleet’s opinion there, “No, we’re getting a new engineer. Because that’s exactly what we need, another ensign straight out of the academy.” 

 

Not surprising. Commander Haywood has been pretty short staffed since the last warp core malfunction resulted in an explosion. With casualties.

 

Dr. Sorola finishes up and ushers him out of the med bay. “I don’t want to see you in here until your next physical, you hear me?”

 

Michael stumbles out, right into a blue shirt with his big nose stuck in a PADD. The guy doesn’t even look up, just waves Michael off with a “Sorry, mate” before continuing on down the hall. Rude.

 

Michael flips him off behind his back. And then runs straight into the Captain, of all people, leaving one of the rec rooms. 

 

“Fuck, sorry!” Michael stammers. “I mean, sorry sir!” Ugh. He winces. 

 

For a minute, Captain Ramsey just stares at him. Then he actually smiles faintly and looks past Michael toward where the science officer he bumped into is waiting for the lift. “Were you just shooting him the bird?”

 

“Uhh...yes?” Damn, he’s about to be reprimanded. And he JUST got cleared for duty.

 

But Captain Ramsey doesn’t tell him off, he laughs. “What’s your name, ensign?”

 

“Jones, sir. Michael Jones.” 

 

“At ease, Jones.” the Captain claps him on the back and heads toward the lift himself.

\----

 

“So where you headed?” 

 

Gavin blinks. Someone is talking to him. He really can’t afford to waste any time, but he takes his eyes off his PADD for a second. 

 

“Wot?” Gavin is shocked to see that the other occupant of this elevator is the captain. He jerks the PADD to his chest and tries to blink away the exhaustion. He only succeeds in seeing double when he realizes he was asked a question. “Um, the science labs.” 

 

Captain Ramsey’s watching him, but when Gavin meets his gaze, he turns toward the elevator doors. But not before Gavin sees that the Captain’s eyes are bloodshot and he looks just as exhausted as Gavin feels.

 

There’s silence for a second, then, “Lieutenant Free, right?” Captain Ramsey’s still looking at their reflections in the elevator doors. “You’ve been taking Commander Heyman’s shifts on the bridge since that clusterfuck of an away mission.” 

 

So the Captain’s actually noticed the change in personnel- he certainly hasn’t said anything in the month since the away mission. 

 

“I have, yeah,” Gavin clasps his hands behind his back, “sir,” he adds quickly. And then blushes. 

 

Captain Ramsey turns toward him at that. And stares at the blush staining his cheeks. God, why is Gavin such an idiot. 

 

“What are you staring at so intently on that PADD?” 

 

He pulls the PADD out from behind his back. “Well, this is Commander Heyman’s, actually. Somebody’s gotta keep up with his correspondence and experiments while he’s...unavailable.” As Gavin’s saying this, he realizes the Captain never actually authorized him to do what he’s been doing for the past month. 

 

Ramsey keeps staring at him.

 

“Shit. Should I not have been doing that?” The Captain just gapes at him.

 

“You’re telling me you’ve been doing the CSO’s job and you haven’t even said anything?”

 

“Well, Commander Pattillo knows I’ve been taking his shifts, since he’s charge of personnel. Really, it’s no big deal. I just happen to be the next highest ranked science officer.”

 

“Explains why you look so damn shitty these days,” the captain mutters under his breath.

 

“What’s your excuse?” Gavin bites back before thinking. 

 

Captain Ramsey bursts into laughter. 

 

The lift doors open and two security officers get on, raising their eyebrows but not saying a word. 

 

The captain gets himself under control but he’s still grinning. Gavin did that. He feels himself starting to smile, too. 

 

Gavin gets off on the next floor without acknowledging the two red shirts in the lift but he does turn around to at least nod a goodbye to the captain or something.

 

Except it turns out there’s no need. The captain’s standing there holding out his hand to shake. “You can call me Geoff when we’re off duty.” 

 

Gavin nearly fumbles the PADD he’s so quick to shake hands. “Gavin.”

 

“You want some company in the labs, Gavin?” 

 

He really does.

\----

 

There are all sorts of protocol about docking at a space station, but overall it’s really a simple procedure. 

 

Jack knows this. That doesn’t mean he wants to let Ensign Jones do it on his first shift back. Ensign Narvaez smirks at him from navigation when he hesitates to relinquish his seat to Jones. 

 

Jack rolls his eyes and hops up, stretching. When he looks back at the captain, he finds him deep in conversation with one of the science officers. Jack figures it looks a convenient excuse as any to stay on the bridge while Jones docks the ship (hopefully successfully). 

 

“Captain,” he greets Geoff when the young officer has retreated to his station. 

 

Geoff grins at him. Well, someone’s surprisingly chipper. “Jack, meet our acting CSO.”

 

Jack raises his eyebrows at that. So far, Geoff has refused to replace Heyman. It needed doing, and certainly Jack’s aware that Lieutenant Free’s been picking up the slack, he just didn’t expect Geoff to acknowledge it officially. He honestly didn’t realize Geoff was even aware of most of the personnel changes in the science department.

 

He glances at Free. A bit young, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. If this was going to get Geoff to stop moping about the away mission, Jack would take it. 

 

Jack shrugs internally and looks back toward the viewscreen where Ensign Jones is rapidly approaching the docking port. 

 

Much too rapidly, in Jack’s opinion. 

 

It’s near impossible to keep his mouth shut, but he does it. Jones can handle his own messes and Jack’s not his minder. 

 

All the same, he tenses and braces for impact.

 

Which doesn’t come. At the last second, Jones decelerates suddenly and smoothly docks the ship. (It’s a little jerky for Jack’s tastes, but it gets the job done, he’ll admit.)

 

Jones and Narvaez whoop and high five each other. 

 

“Nicely done, Ensign,” Geoff claps Jack on the back, much more chipper than he’s been in a while. “Way to almost give Commander Pattillo here a heart attack.”

 

Jack rolls his eyes. 

 

“Now, we’ve got a new crew member to pick up,” the captain ignores him completely, “Jack, Gavin, with me.” Geoff gives his orders as he heads for the lift.

 

_Gavin_? Jack thinks as he and aforementioned lieutenant take their places behind the captain in the lift. 

 

“Think he’ll be impressed or terrified I brought my second officer and chief science officer along?” Geoff jokes, meeting their eyes in the mirrored lift doors.

 

The good mood is contagious. Jack grins, “I hope he’s terrified.”

 

Gavin just shakes his head, “You two are monsters.”

 

Geoff raises an eyebrow, “So you’re saying you  _don't_ wanna see this kid shit his pants?”

 

“I didn’t say _that_ ,” Gavin admits with a giggle. “Think you can make him cry?”

 

They all burst into full blown laughter, and it’s super unprofessional, but the sparkle is back in the captain’s eye and Jack feels like maybe things are turning around. 

 

This poor ensign has no idea what’s coming for him.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If you're curious about The 100 Fandoms Challenge, take a look! And here is the table of prompts.
> 
> They also have a community on here, but that's the link where i got all my info, and I'm not actually posting this my stuff in the community. This is just a personal challenge for me, that'll probably never be completed bc i can't actually even think of 100 different fandoms lmao.
> 
> Please feel free to drop me kudos or a review! (I need all the validation i can get.)


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